Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows

This may very well be the best documentary that I have ever seen. I first saw the film a month ago, and after seeing it again, I am more convinced than ever that it is a must-see; not only for wrestling fans, but fans of film, period. To be sure, you'll probably get more out of this movie if you are familiar with Bret Hart, or the WWF, or the now infamous Montreal double-cross, but the filmmakers succeeded in making this an enjoyable experience for viewers whether they watch wrestling or not. This film gave me a greater appreciation for wrestling, increased my already high regard for documentaries, and cemented me as a life-long fan of the Hitman. I can only hope that potential viewers of this film can remove any pre-conceived notions that they might have about wrestling, for this is truly a film that deserves to be seen.

This is probably the best documentary on the world of professional wrestling. It is a no nonsense look at how much wrestling has changed since the its beginnings to what it is now. You get to look behind the characters that the wrestlers create and see how the business treats them as nothing more than commodities after their usefulness is over. Vince McMahon is pretty much shown to be not much different than his character on Raw or Smackdown. In fact, he is shown to be a backstabbing lowlife who lets his personal pride get in the way of his friendship with his company's brightest star. This is one documentary that does open some eyes.

There's quite an amusing bit in Wrestling With Shadows where a man on a TV panel show earnestly likens Bret Hart to Hamlet – he says both are good men stuck in immoral worlds. Only in Canada (and possibly Mexico) could such a discussion be televised and it not be part of a sketch show. After all, as Bret himself points out, for a brief time he was the most famous Canadian in the world.

But although I find it amazing that a programme could use wrestling as a means in which to discuss morals, and although I'm even more amazed that such a show could find its way on the airways, the documentary that features it is superb. Here you have a film that, like the excellent Beyond the Mat, lifts the veil on wrestling and shows the world how the whole crazy enterprise works. It most certainly isn't Shakespeare (and Bret Hart isn't Hamlet), but the story that unfolds is riveting.

As in Beyond the Mat, one of the main themes in this film is the way wrestling blurs lines that are drawn between the real and the unreal. Yes we all know the matches are predetermined and that punches are pulled, but that's beside the point. The reality is in the reactions generated by fans. The reality is the sacrifices performers have to make to succeed in the business – many forsake normal family lives. The reality is in the cruelty of the profession – no pensions and no job security. So although the matches are planned in advance, there are careers and lives on the line.

What the film captures wonderfully is Hart's internal conflict. He wants to be a hero, but people are starting to boo him, and he wants to stay loyal to Vince McMahon (who's almost like a second father), but he has a big money offer from WCW. There are lots of things going on, almost all of them out of his control. And while that may seem crazy, wrestling being almost entirely about control and manipulation of people's emotions, it further illustrates how complicated the business is – while he's worshipped like a god in Canada and across the world (the reaction in India is hardly phoney), he's vilified in America as bland and unfashionable; people want something different.

And that's probably Bret Hart's problem. As great an athlete as he was, he found it hard to adapt to the new attitude that wrestling acquired in the late 90s. He was too emotionally invested in being a hero. If anything, he cared too much about the fans. He probably would have adapted better if he had less scruples. But that's what also makes Hart a wonderful subject for this documentary. He never sells out and he never breaks his word – even in such a scuzzy business as wrestling, he maintains his dignity. He's also at odds with his new position within the company as the number one heel – he doesn't like insulting the fans. But such is Hart's professionalism that he does and does it exceedingly well. Indeed, the whole period of wrestling that the film documents was the most exciting I can remember. Wrestling since has been a pale shadow of what it was back then.

Despite my opinion, though, Hart doesn't like the new direction and openly criticises it. And this is probably what leads to his downfall. His determination to be honest at all times alienates Vince McMahon and may well have inspired the infamous Montreal screw job.

And the section of the film that deals with the events in Montreal make for fascinating viewing. First of all you have the way Bret Hart's wife emotionally says goodbye to what she thinks are her friends. Then you have Blade (Bret's son) sulking in the corner because he'll never see a lot of these people again. And after that you have Bret telling his wife that Earl Hebner, the referee, is straight (he swore on his kids that nothing would happen). It all adds up to betrayal that is like having your family stab you in the back – being the sort of person he is, you can more than understand why Hart is so devastated. However, you can also kind of see McMahon's point of view. He was fighting a bitter fight with WCW and one of his main (expensive) stars had been openly criticising his direction; McMahon wanted to do the best he could to taint the goods Ted Turner had paid handsomely for. But even though from a cold, objective business point of view, I can understand why Vince did it, he does fully deserve the punch in the face that Hart deals out to him. The whole situation could and should have been handled better.

Aside from this, you also have a film about a man and his relationship with his father, and the one here is unique to say the least. One of the funniest sections in the film is when the Hart's recount the way Stu Hart would 'stretch out' aspiring wrestlers. In one instance you can even hear a kid screaming his head off as Stu slaps him, saying 'Have some discipline'. It's here that you understand how and why Bret became the man he is. He was afraid of his father but respected him, too. And because of the strict sense of right and wrong that was fostered in him, he found it hard to accept the shades of grey that crept into wrestling.

But while, in a sense, this moral rigidity hampers Bret's career, it also protects him. Many wrestlers, when they retire, go off the rails, but with Bret (despite everything that's happened since the film) you feel he'll be okay. At least, you hope that will be the case.

As a fan of WWF wrestling I was interested when I heard there would be a documentary on Bret "The Hitman" Hart. Growing up I watched wrestling with my older brother and father and remember Bret wrestling, to me it was very real. I took a break and just recently got back into watching it about a year ago. So when I heard about the documentary, I was very interested..........Wow was I in for a surprise!! I was amazed to see things from the inside out rather than the outside in. I learned things that I had never known before. I knew it was planned out for the most part, but I never realized the extent of it. I read through pervious comments and I was shocked......people said it was funny and exciting to see the under-belly of wrestling, but I, on the other hand, was moved almost to tears. I was upset to learn about the backstage scenes that go on outside of the ring. The Montreal incident was appalling and worst of all, every one Bret had put his faith into "screwed" him royally. Today wrestling is very different, there are women taking their clothes off and everything revolves around sex. We need to take it back to when it was a sport, not a soap opera. Don't get me wrong, I love WWF, but when I see what it did to Bret and his family, I feel horrible....The WWF betrayed his trust and his ability and destroyed the audience's faith in him..........Bret is a true champion!! This documentary gave me a persepective I had never known before...A must see for everyone who thinks wrestling is fake and no one gets hurt....people do get hurt, in more ways than one.

How far are you willing to go? How deep can you go into the world of pro-wrestling, and the life of pro-wrestler Bret "The Hitman" Hart? This is it! This film will take on a journey closer to the life of Bret Hart, and closer to the life of a pro-wrestler. Wrestling is fake, yes. But what's it like behind the stage, where the stories are created, and the matches are planned? And what transpired during the time in which Vince McMahon planned his betrayal of Bret Hart? You won't see anything quite like this for a long time! "Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows" documents Bret's life from his childhood to his relationship with his father, his family, and his relationship with Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation. It's never boring, and me, being a former pro-wrestling fan, I came to appreciate what tasks the wrestlers had to undertake. I also strongly agree with a lot of what Bret says in the film, that pro-wrestling has become bloodier, raunchier, and more inappropriate for children than anything, simply for the sake of ratings. You come to feel sympathy for Bret, knowing the hardships a pro-wrestling really does have to deal with. It's also tragic to know that soon after this film was made, his brother Owen Hart was killed in a stunt at the WWF. Vince McMahon has indeed, gone too far for the sake of beating Ted Turner's WCW ratings. I highly recommend this film for someone who likes pro-wrestling and wrestler Bret Hart. If you don't like wrestling, this film will make you come to feel respect for the man, and the people involved in the wrestling business